3 Ole Miss players who helped themselves this spring and 3 with work to do

Ole Miss tight end Gabe Angel (16) is tackled by linebacker Josh Clarke (32) during the Grove Bowl spring NCAA college football game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, April 7, 2018.

OXFORD — Since spring practice is over, now is probably the best time to reflect.

To add a disclaimer, Ole Miss' depth chart isn't set in stone. There are about four months between now and the start of training camp in August.

3 who helped themselves

Josh Clarke, linebacker

It took only a few weeks for the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Clarke to earn a promotion to the first team. Clarke has speed. He has the athleticism and he can hit.

The coaching staff is still looking for him to increase his awareness, which should improve with more experience.

"We'll get a lot of good play out of Josh Clarke," defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff said after Saturday's Grove Bowl. "He's aggressive. He's long, he can run. We've got to keep improving his football IQ."

But Cooley caught just four passes for 66 yards in his first two seasons and weight issues defined his sophomore year. He's lost more than 20 pounds since and filled in well during starter Dawson Knox's absence this spring.

So well that he was given the Eli Manning Award for the most improved offensive player of spring ball. He finished the spring with a three-reception, 46-yard effort in the Grove Bowl.

Cooley's emergence has given the coaching staff more confidence in him and should put him in line for more playing time this fall.

"Probably the focus for him now through August is going to be just to get in better shape so he can play at a higher level a little bit longer while he's out there," Longo said. "He's a heck of a football player."

Ryder Anderson, defensive end

Anderson wasn't a highly-touted player in the Rebels' '17 recruiting class. He arrived on campus in January of last year and by the end of November he earned more playing time and recorded a sack in the Egg Bowl.

With Qaadir Sheppard out recovering from a foot injury this spring, it allowed Anderson to take reps with the first-team defense.

"I think it definitely did benefit me," Anderson said. "I feel like I gave it my all. Any time you get an opportunity to get a lot of reps and go head-to-head with great tackles like Greg Little, (Alex Givens) and a bunch those guys, it's always a good thing."

Anderson, who is 6-foot-6 and 244 pounds, was given the Jeff Hamm Memorial Award for being the most improved defensive player of the spring. He finished with three tackles in the Grove Bowl and figures to be one of Ole Miss' top pass rushers this fall.

He'll be battling against the likes of Austrian Robinson and Ross Donnelly for playing time in the defensive tackle rotation.

Benito Jones and Josiah Coatney started at defensive tackle last season and are the presumed starters there this season.

Qaadir Sheppard, defensive end

Sheppard was set to be a starter entering the season opener but a foot injury derailed his season.

He didn't practice all spring. In that time, Anderson looked solid and Victor Evans returned from an MCL injury, which cut his season short last year.

Sheppard, a Syracuse transfer, will be in the defensive end rotation once he gets back, but Anderson's development and Evans' return makes a return to the first-team more challenging.

Braylon Sanders, wide receiver

Sanders is a logical guess to assume the fourth wide receiver role this season. He played more down the stretch of last season and two other options, Tre Nixon and Van Jefferson, transferred in the offseason.

The coaching staff thinks highly of Sanders but he tweaked a hamstring during one of the team's earlier scrimmages which kept him out the final few weeks of camp.

Once training camp rolls around, he'll likely be challenged by four-star prospect Elijah Moore for some playing time in that role.

Josh Clarke emerged as one of Ole Miss’ first-team linebackers this spring.